Book Description

Our planet is rapidly turning to desert. Once-lush grasslands, the source of precious food and water, are growing dry and bare. Rivers that used to flow year-round now run dry after the rains. Grazing animals want for food.

What is causing this “desertification” of the earth, and how can we stop it?

In The Grazing Revolution, biologist Allan Savory presents a solution that’s as radical as it is simple: huge herds of livestock, managed to mimic the behavior of the natural herds that once roamed grasslands centuries ago.

Tracing his own story of discovery, Savory debunks common misconceptions and provides a vivid chronicle of the process by which he has seen scrubby wasteland revert to robust ecosystems. Our age-old agricultural practices are contributing greatly to the global climate change underway; Savory argues that by re-imagining these practices, we can reverse desertification and save the planet.

Our planet is rapidly turning to desert. Once-lush grasslands, the source of precious food and water, are growing dry and bare. Rivers that used to flow year-round now run dry after the rains. Grazing animals want for food.

What is causing this “desertification” of the earth, and how can we stop it?

In The Grazing Revolution, biologist Allan Savory presents a solution that’s as radical as it is simple: huge herds of livestock, managed to mimic the behavior of the natural herds that once roamed grasslands centuries ago.

Tracing his own story of discovery, Savory debunks common misconceptions and provides a vivid chronicle of the process by which he has seen scrubby wasteland revert to robust ecosystems. Our age-old agricultural practices are contributing greatly to the global climate change underway; Savory argues that by re-imagining these practices, we can reverse desertification and save the planet.

I had the luck to visit Allan Savory's farm in Zimbabwe a couple of years and to be shown the holistic grazing technique by the man himself. In person, Allan is a hard man to like, but he is an absolute visionary and an extraordinarily effective manager of soils and animals. My entusiasm convinced my son to go work for a couple of months on Grasslands LLC ranches in Montana and South Dakota managed according to Allan's principles and confirmed that there, too, in that very different biome, holistic grazing was extraordinarily effective.

The book is a clear, easy review of what holistic grazing is, how it works, and why it matters. It also charts Allan's journey from young African ecologist to holistic grazing guru, and that alone is worth the read. Make no mistake: this kind of agroecological land management is of capital importance for our common future, and Allan deserves multiple honours for having discovered, refined, implemented and publisized it. If worries about how to feed future generations without wrecking the planet keep you awake at night, this is the book for you.

A readable, attractive and personal e-book written by a genius of the rangelands, who over fifty years took the understanding of how grassland ecosystems work to a new level (and much of the rest of rangeland science has yet to catch up).

Savory explains how ruminants and their predators are essential species in grassland ecosystems, having co-evolved over millions of years. We have taken the ruminants out of grasslands in semi-arid and arid environments (which is most of them) and have watched as they slowly or rapidly degrade to deserts (which are different from true deserts). Put ruminants back and within as short a time as one year life and biodiversity miraculously begin to make a comeback, sometimes a dramatic one.

Savory tells of his own life, of his struggles of scientific discovery, his conflicts with academia, the waves of support and dismissal from governments, and how understanding the human social dynamics was essential to implementing proper grazing management and developing the theories of managing holistically.

Global warming is a recent concern in holistic management. It turns out that restoration of grasslands stores enormous amounts of carbon (it is worth noting that we have lost more carbon from abuse of soils since the advent of agriculture than from all burning of fossil fuels). So along with all the other benefits of holistic planned grazing, it holds out the possibility of mitigating and perhaps even reversing climate change.

Savory is seventy-eight years old, still traveling the world to spread the message. I highly recommend his February 2013 TED Talk, "How to fight desertification and reverse climate change." This excellent e-book grows out of that lecture, and fills in many of the details that wouldn't fit into a twenty minute presentation.

Something to think about. If it consistently works, then it is an important tool in saving the planet from global warming and chaos.I appreciated the fact that the author didn't sit at his desk and postulate about on his theories but actually got out got his hands dirty and proved his idea.It would have helped if he would have included a sample of his grazing 'plan' that he thought was so important to his success. Perhaps one of his clients' working plans. Bring his book from theory to the concrete.

As a more in-depth explanation of the ideas presented in his TED talk, this book also covers Mr. Savory's unique problem solving process, all the key rebuttals/skepticism of his work, and his remarkable personal achievements in a graceful and easy read. I enjoyed it immensely.

I've purchased this book while searching for more professional information on the grassland management for the beff cattle breeders. It proved to be a good read, and gave me better understanding of importance of litter in the grass for the capture of moisture. I also learned on the difference of "undergrazing" and "overgrazing" and idea on periods of time needed for the grass to recover it's roots. My favorite quote would be: "The change started when I understood that as a cattleman I should care of growing the grass first and then harvesting it with my livestock." :)

It was a pleasure to read the text of the book as the light hand and heart of the author was obvious. The story of life is truly remarkable, I'm pleased I've learned it.

I intend to look for more Savory books to learn more on holistic graze planning in detail.